Tag Archives: TOOTER BOATMAN

”Hear that thunder and lightning
Raining on through the night
Feel that cool wind blowing
The moon’s gone out of sight
Darkness all around us
Darkness everywhere
I’m a-gonna wanna hold you a-baby
And you don’t want me near”

More Tooter 50’s recordings in these two ’84/’85 White Label Lp comps. Life Begins At 4 O’clock, They Won’t Let Me In, Wayward Wind, Depression Blues, Who That … and other rare stuff with studio chats, rehearsals, false starts and alternate versions. For R-billy enthusiasts and others. Dig!

”Well, hear that big wheel rolling
Rolling on down the line
Vibration of sensation
Man, when her lips meet mine…”

“Tooter Boatman was a Texas rocker who recorded prolifically between 1957 and 1963, but only a handful of recordings were issued during his too short life. In 1957 he formed his own rock and roll group, the Chapparals. Towards the end of 1957 they made their first record, “Poor Gal”/“Sweet Lies” (Rebel 108), which was credited to The Chaparrals. It was recorded at the Clifford Herring studio in Fort Worth, but after Danny Wolfe opened his own studio in Stephensville, Boatman and his group would hold almost all their sessions there. Danny Wolfe, a good friend of Tooter, was a songwriter / singer / pianist who went on to write most of their material. Wolfe’s songs have also been recorded by many other artists, including Gene Vincent, John D. Loudermilk, Pat Boone, Huelyn Duvall and Sanford Clark. Wolfe became the manager of the Chapparals and booked them in clubs and on TV shows all over Texas.

The second release was the one for which Boatman is best known. “The Will of Love” was released in April 1958 on Twinkle 501, coupled with “More and More (I Love You)”. Several sources claim that “The Will of Love” was coupled with “Thunder and Lightning” (another rockabilly classic from the pen of Danny Wolfe), but these two songs were not coupled until 1972, when they were issued on a UK repro single (Injun 108). On August 1, 1964, Boatman’s life came to an abrupt end. A hit and run driver killed Tooter and his close friend Tom Putt on a lonely country road in California.” [rockabilly.nl]

Cool, previously unissued 50’s stuff by this Texas r-billy cat on White Label records lp comp. from 1983. Already have posted it on my old blog and here it is again. Vinyl rip by Mr.Eliminator. Dig!!!